Charge mixing and heating device and/or vaporizer for use in cylinders of internal combustion engines



Sept. 7, 1937. A. HEADEN 2,092,454 CHARGE MIXING AND HEATING DEVICEAND/OR VAPORIZER FOR USE IN CYLINDERS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENG YNESFiled Jan. 25, 1935 LUC'E'HN H HEHFEN Patented Sept. 7, 1937 PATENTOFFICE CHARGE MIXING AND HEATING DEVICE AND/OR VAPORIZER FOR USE INCYLIN- DEBS OF INTERNAL GIN ES COMBUSTION EN- Lucean Arthur Headen,Camberley, England, as-

signer to George P. Koelliker, Cleveland, Ohio Application January 23,1935, Serial No. 3,104

5 Claims.

This invention relates to charge mixing and heating devices and/orVaporizers for use in the cylinders of internal combustion engines andhas for its object the provision of an improved device of this naturewhich shall be inexpensive to pro duce and simple to fit.

According to this invention an apertured plate, which may act as abaffle, is disposed within the cylinder of an internal combustion engineat right angles to the axis of said cylinder and is so formed that itwill present one or more hot spots to an entering charge of fuel and airdue to the heating of the plate by a preceding combustion effected insaid cylinder.

It is preferred to dispose the plate at the level of the normal jointbetween the cylinder head and the cylinder block, in which case, ofcourse, it must always be arranged so that it is clear of the pistonworking in the cylinder when the said piston is in its top dead centerposition, and a very convenient and advantageous arrangement consistsin. forming the apertured plate integrally with a gasket adapted to beinterposed between the jointing faces of the cylinder head and cylinderblock in the place of or in addition to the normally provided jointinggasket.

The apertured plate may be plane or somewhat dished and the opening oropenings therethrough may be of any desired size or shape, beingpreferably formed with undulated, serrated or like edges of which thedeepest points of the serrations, undulations or the like may bedisposed, in some cases, almost at the outer edge of the plate.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, there will now bedescribed some nonlimitative examples of the way in which it may becarried into effect, reference being made to the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of a gasket formed integrally withone construction of the charge mixing and heating device according tothe invention;

Figure 2 is. a section taken on line 22 of Figure 1 indicating thegasket in place between the jointing faces of the cylinder head andcylinder block of an. internal combustion engine;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a modified form ofconstruction of the charge mixing and heating device according to theinvention.

In the examples shown in Figures 1 to 3, a gasket l of thin sheet copperor the like is shaped in the requisite manner, with the necessaryaperand the like, to constitute a jointing member for interpositionbetween the cylinder block 3 and cylinder head 4 (see Fig. 2) of aninternal combustion engine, it being preferred to employ a gasket of theusual type (not shown) on one or both sides thereof to afford a measureof heat insulation to the gasket according to the invention.

In contradistinction to the usual type of gasket, however, these areasof the gasket according to the present invention which would registerwith the respective bores of the cylinders 5 (see Figure 2) in thecylinder block 3 if they were not removed are each formed with anaperture or apertures, generally indicated by 6 in the figures, which isor are of lesser area. or lesser total area than the fullcross-sectional area of each of said cylinder bores 5.

These apertures are formed with irregularly or regularly serrated,undulated or otherwise similarly shaped edges so that, when the gasketis secured in position, there is present a number of inwardly directedtongues l of more or less pointed formation in each cylinder bore.

The particular construction of gasket shown in Figures 1 and 2 has thearea corresponding to the cross-sectional area of a cylinder bore 5formed centrally with an aperture ii in the shape of a six-pointed star,the innermost points of the edge of this aperture being located on acircle having a radius approximately half that of the cylinder bore. Itwill, of course, be understood that the points 'i may be disposed atother distances from the axis of the cylinder bore if. desired and thatthe outermost points of the edge of the aperture 6 may vary in positionalso, they being located on a circle having a radius approximatelythree-quarters of that of the cylinder bore 5 in the exampleillustrated.

Figure 3 represents a gasket having the aperture 6 formed withirregularly serrated edges and. provided with separate apertures 60 toencircle the inlet and exhaust valve openings (not shown).

Any desired shape may be imparted to the inwardly directed tongues leftby the forming in the vaporizer plate of an aperture with a serrated orlike-edge, for example, the tongues may be bent upwardly and/ordownwardly out of the plane of the plate or otherwise formed to ensurethe presence of hot spots during their use in the cylinder of aninternal combustion engine.

It is found that the use of the charge mixing and heating devices and/orVaporizers according to the invention is of particular value in internalcombustion engines adapted to be supplied from two alternative sourcesof fuel supply, one a light fuel and the other a heavy fuel, but suchdevices also improve the operation of engines working with a light fuelonly. In the case of an engine intended to operate with alternative fuelsupplies, the two fuels may be supplied from separate carbureters orfrom a single twin-bowl carbureter of known form.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of myinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. As an article of manufacture and sale a metallic gasket adapted to beplaced between the junction surfaces of an internal combustion engineand its cylinder head, said gasket being provided with bolt holes, waterjacket communication holes and a plurality of apertures adapted toregister with the cylinder bores of said internal combustion engine,said apertures having their circumferential edges arranged totallywithin the cross-sectional areas of the cylinder bores of said engine,and having their edges serrated, so as to provide said gasket with aplurality of inwardly extending pointed fingers adapted to form hotpoints within the cross-sectional areas of, said bores.

2. As an article of manufacture and sale a metallic gasket adapted to beplaced between the junction surfaces of an internal combustion engineand its cylinder head, said gasket being provided with bolt holes, waterjacket communication holes and a plurality of apertures adapted toregister with the cylinder bores of said internal combustion engine,each of said apertures having its circumferential edge arranged withinthe cross-sectional area of the respective cylinder bore and also havingits edge serrated and spaced from the edge of the respective cylinderbore, so as to form said gasket with a plurality of inwardly extendinghot points within the cross-sectional area of each bore.

3. As an article of manufacture and sale a metallic gasket such asdescribed in claim 2, wherein the edges of said apertures areirregularly serrated to form a plurality of irregularly arranged hotpoints within the cross-sectional areas of the cylinder bores of saidengine.

4. As an article of manufacture and sale a metallic gasket adapted to beplaced between the junction surfaces of an internal combustion engineand its cylinder head, said gasket being provided with bolt holes, waterjacket communication holes and a plurality of pointed-starshapedapertures adapted to register with and to be fully arranged within thecylinder bore areas of said internal combustion engine, the innermostpoints of the edges of said apertures being located on a circle having aradius approximately half that of the cylinder bores of said engine.

5. As an article of manufacture and sale a metallic gasket as describedin claim 4, wherein the outermost points of the edges of, said aperturesare located on a circle having a radius approximately three quarters ofthe cylinder bores of said engine.

LUCEAN ARTHUR HEADEN.

